A new beginning
by NekoPantera
Summary: Everybody knows the story of the boy who lived, and how he defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort when he was but a baby. And again in his final school year. But what if one single meeting changed all that? One meeting, when Harry was ten years old and it changed the entire story. This is Harry Potter's story retold with a new beginning.
1. Prologue

Hello there, everyone. Neko here, coming at you with a brand new story.

There are a couple of things I want to say before this story begins.

First of all, I don't have an upload schedule and updates get uploaded when they are ready. Of course reviews might encourage me to write faster (hint, hint :3)

Also, I want to do a shout out to the people who are helping me with this story.  
First we have my good friend Seth's Kiss, who has been a huge support. (Go check them out, they're a great writer)  
Then we have ShayMe00. She is my go to person to bounce ideas off on this fanfic.

Both are wonderful people, so show them some love if you can.

After this AN, I tend to put my future AN's at the bottom of the chapter. It's for the people who only come here to read the story (which is completely fine). I'm beyond honored that people take their time to read what I put down.

I already know where I want this story to go, but suggestions are always welcome. That said, don't be shy to send me a PM or leave a review. I read all of them and I'll answer any question you have.

As the main characters are children, this story will remain rated T for now (swearing may occur). But I plan on going through all the years in Hogwarts. So when our beloved characters grow up, there will be pairings and the rating may go up then. Don't worry, I will be very clear once it does.

I think that's all for now.

Strap yourselves in and enjoy the story.

Love, Neko

 _'thoughts'_

 **"parsel"**

"normal speech"

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"Stay back!" screamed a woman.

She was facing several wizards with their wands drawn against her. Behind the woman hid a small seven year old child.

But despite her warning call, the wizards didn't care and advanced on her. Without hesitation they attacked, throwing several deadly curses to the woman and her child.

The woman grabbed her daughter and jumped out of the way, narrowly dodging the curses.

The woman had no means to defend herself as she wasn't a witch and so didn't have a wand. This, however, didn't mean that she couldn't use magic. She wasn't just an ordinary human. She was known as creature called a Monarus.

A Monarus is a rare creature, bordering on extinct. They looked completely human, but they had the ability to transform into their true form, which is exactly what the woman did.

Normally, a Monarus is a non-violent creature, but when their loved ones are threatened, no task was too great to protect them.

The woman transformed in a short flash of light.

Her entire body was now suddenly covered in a bone-like armour. But that wasn't the only change. On her head she gained two long antenna. And the most noticeable change were the beautiful wings on her back. The wings were shaped like that of a butterfly and the new look was a sight to behold.

In this form, the woman had access to her elemental magic. Hers was ice and when the wizards fired the next round of curses at her, she retaliated by firing off ice shards at the wizards.

The little girl hid away from the battle, scared for her life and that of her mother's. But she could do nothing but watch as her mother battled the wizards. She was too young to transform herself to help her mother out.

The battle seemed even, but the woman was outnumbered and soon she began to tire. With her armour, the Monarus could take a few curses without getting harmed. That didn't mean, however, that she was completely immune to their effects. Plus her armour started to wear down from the continued assault.

When the woman was hit with a rather nasty curse, she dropped to the ground from the pain. Taking this opportunity, the wizards advanced to the place where the little girl was hiding. They had no intention on sparing either of them.

Seeing this, the mother quickly got up again and drove the wizards back. But she knew she was fighting a losing battle. So she did the only thing she could think of to keep her daughter safe.

She used her elemental magic to create a huge ice barrier between her and the wizards. It wouldn't hold long, but it would give her the time she needed to do what she needed to do.

"Jewel." the woman called, mentioning for her daughter to come to her.

The girl, now known as Jewel, did as told.

"Listen to me, sweetheart. You're going to have to leave me behind."

"What? No! Mother, I can't do that!" Jewel replied, horrified.

"Yes. Yes you can. You have to. These people won't stop coming after us. Now that they have found us, they're never going to give up, no matter where we hide to. You need to run and stay out of sight."

"But mother…"

"No, Jewel. I know this is hard, for both of us. But if you stay here, we'll both be killed. If you leave, then at least you'll survive. I've taught you how to survive, I believe in you. So, promise me. Promise me you'll survive, no matter what." she said, desperation clear in her voice.

"I will, I promise. But there has to be another way." the girl cried, knowing what her mother was intending to do.

"There is no other way, sweetheart. I will keep them busy and you run. You run and you keep running and you don't look back. Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes mother. I promise."

Jewel was crying very hard now and it hurt her mother to see her daughter this way, but she knew she didn't have a choice. The woman hugged her daughter tight, and when she let go, she turned back towards the wizards, who were almost through the barrier.

"You need to be strong now. And don't ever forget that I love you." she said with her own tears in her eye.

"I love you too, mother." Jewel answered.

Time was running out fast. Jewel gathered her strength and stopped her crying. She glanced at her mother from behind and said one last thing before she bolted; "I'll survive no matter what, mother, I promise."

And she was gone. Jewel ran and didn't look back, but she could hear the sounds of battle behind her. She wanted to go back, but she couldn't, so she kept running, like she had promised. Even after the sounds of battle were far behind her, she kept on running.

How long she ran, she didn't know. All she knew before she passed out from exhaustion, was that she was far away from where she wanted to be and that she would never see her mother again.

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Two years passed and Jewel was now nine years old. And in all that time, she was on her own. After she had lost her mother, she didn't trust anyone, be it a muggle, wizard/witch or other human creatures.

She was still a small child, she didn't grow much in the last two years. It was most likely the result of malnutrition. Her mother had indeed taught her to survive on her own, but that didn't mean it was easy.

Jewel avoided populated areas like the plague and tended to stay in forests and nature filled areas, where humans usually didn't venture.

In the last two years Jewel learned a lot about herself. Her mother never told her who her father was, but she knew it had to be a powerful wizard. The amount of magic that a Monarus could use, depended on the parents. Her mother possessed elemental magic, so Jewel knew that once she gained her true form, she would be able to use that as well.

Besides elemental magic, a Monarus possessed two other abilities that were unique to their kind. The first one was that she could understand and speak any human language. The second ability was a passive one, no matter who was in the presence of a Monarus, a person could not tell lies. It was an ability that they could not control and that is why they were so few of them left. People don't really appreciate not being able to tell lies and that's why a Monarus is a hunted species.

But the reason Jewel knew her father had to be powerful was because she could talk to snakes.

Monarus's only knew human languages, not animal ones. So Jewel figured out on her own that her father would have likely had this ability and it passed on to her. But it was an unusual language, it came with a special kind of magic that she could use whenever she wanted.

At first she didn't think much about it, but after a close encounter with some rather unfriendly witches, Jewel learned that she could use this magic to defend herself. She would only have to say what she wanted in the snake language and it would happen.

For instance, when she had to escape the witches, she wanted to protect herself from their magic. When a curse was thrown her way, she yelled for them to stop. Because she yelled it in the snake language, the magic reacted and stopped the spell in its tracks.

After that Jewel started to experiment and quickly learned the boundaries of what she could do. Her magic wasn't as powerful as a wizard's/witches', but she could do mostly anything they could do.

When she befriended a snake in the forest where she lived in, he told her that the language was called Parseltongue and her ability to do magic was Parselmagic. The snake, called Thoro, taught her everything about Parselmagic, including how to change into a snake. Any person possessing the Parsel ability, had the skill to turn into a snake.

And after practicing hard, she managed it.

Normally a person with Parselmagic would turn into a non-magical snake, but perhaps it was because of her creature blood that Jewel turned into a magical snake. Just like herself, her snake form was petite. She was a pure black in color, with icy blue swirls running over her entire body. She was a variant of the Ice Snake, which meant that, unlike a normal snake, she was more comfortable in colder environments.

Which was why she was all alone now. Thoro had moved on to warmer areas as winter had arrived and the snow had started to fall.

Food was getting harder and harder to find, because of the cold weather. And soon she had no other option but to face her fear and venture into a human town.

' _I can do this. I'll just stay a snake and as soon as I get what I need, I'm out of there. I can do this._ ' she told herself, gathering her courage.

Jewel didn't bother to learn the name of the town she went in, she was focused on only one thing; finding food.

She only needed food, because the cold didn't bother her, a benefit from being an Ice snake.

She predicted that she could hunt some rodents near the houses. It disgusted her, but her options were running out. She made a promise and she would do anything to keep it. Even if that meant that she had to eat rats as a snake.

But her predictions were wrong. Even the rats and mice have seem to seek out warmer places and Jewel wasn't quite brave enough to look for them inside a house.

" _ **Seems like I won't be eating again today. I hope I'll have better luck tomorrow**_." she sighed sadly.

She started heading back to her forest when a strange sound caught her attention.

Giving in to her curiosity, she went to investigate.

To her surprise, the sound came from a small boy, hiding in the bushes in the garden of a house. He was crying and seemed to be in pain.

Jewel found it strange to find someone outside in the cold. The entire time she was hunting in the town, she didn't see any human outside. It was late in the evening after all.

Jewel stared at the boy a few seconds, which she regretted instantly. The boy had noticed her.

She panicked and turned around to flee.

"Oh, please don't go! I'm sorry I startled you." the boy called out to her.

" _ **It's nothing personal, boy. But I just can't trust a human."**_ Jewel said, not expecting the human boy to understand her.

" _ **I see. I don't blame you. I find it hard to trust other humans as well."**_ the boy answered sadly in Parsel, completely taking Jewel off guard.

Parcel magic, she learned, was extremely rare. The chances of ever finding another person who had it were so very slim, almost impossible.

" _ **You…. You can speak Parsel?"**_ Jewel asked cautiously. She turned her head to look at him, but she kept her body ready to flee.

" _ **I don't know what Parsel is, but, yes, I can understand you."**_

" _ **What are you doing outside? And why are you crying?"**_

' _I might just as well ask. I can't turn away now, now that I've spoken to him. Besides, he's just a little boy. What harm can he do?'_ she reassured herself.

" _ **I can ask the same of you. It's freezing outside! Snake's get hurt in the cold, don't they?"**_ the boy asked with concern.

' _That's weird. Why would he care about that? He probably doesn't, he's just avoiding my question. I need to get out of here.'_

" _ **The cold doesn't bother me. Goodbye."**_

" _ **Oh. Okay. Just… stay safe, okay?"**_ the boy answered, looking defeated. He stared at his feet and tried to not cry again.

Every instinct in Jewel told her to leave, to get away, back to the safety of her forest. But the look of hopelessness in the boys eyes, it reminded her of her own.

So rather than running, she turned towards the boy and came a little closer to him.

" _ **What about you? Aren't you cold?"**_

The boy snapped his head back towards Jewel, surprise and confusion clear on his features. It took a moment before the boy composed himself and answered.

" _ **I'm very cold."**_

" _ **Then what are you doing outside?! This is where you live, is it not? Get back inside, before you get ill."**_

Jewel confused herself, she shouldn't feel concern for this human boy. She should stay away and leave him be. But it had been such a long time since she had spoken to someone other than a snake. It seemed like so long ago since she last had a conversation with another human being. She couldn't bring herself to leave.

" _ **I'm being punished. I have to stay outside until they decide to let me back in the house."**_

His answer just brought up more questions.

" _ **What did you do to deserve THIS? And who are they?"**_

" _ **My uncle and aunt. I dropped a plate when I was cooking. Normally my uncle would just hit me and send me to bed without food, but today was different. Somehow I fixed the plate, like it never broke. I just wanted it to be fixed and then it was. … They called me a freak and threw me outside. They told me I couldn't go back inside until they let me back in. And I don't know why I'm telling you this, because I never wanted anyone to know."**_ the boy ranted, getting upset.

" _ **I have that effect on people."**_ Jewel answered vaguely. " _ **But that's horrible. I don't understand why accidental magic should be punished. It's not like you have control over it. You're a young and untrained wizard, of course something like that is bound to happen. But I guess this is normal for humans. They're all the same, cruel and unforgiving."**_

" _ **Wait. Magic? Wizard? What are you talking about?"**_

" _ **You don't know? You're a wizard. You're a Parsel mouth and you used accidental magic, there's no way you're a muggle."**_

" _ **Me? A wizard? No way. And what's a muggle? How do you know all this. And.."**_

" _ **Whoa, whoa! Back off!"**_ hissed Jewel angerly.

In his enthusiasm, the boy crept closer to Jewel until they were near. It was too close for comfort, so Jewel assumed a defensive position.

The boy leapt back as if bitten.

" _ **I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, I mean no harm. But what you say makes no sense. I mean, I know I'm not normal. But I'm just a freak, right?"**_

And at that moment, Jewel decided she would help the boy. She knew what it was like to feel like a freak, to be alone, to be an outcasted and punished for something you can't control. Plus she knew the boy wasn't lying when he told her he meant no harm.

' _I'm sorry, mother. But I can't keep going on alone. I know I'm going to take a huge risk, letting myself get close to someone. But I can't walk away from this.'_

" _ **What's your name, boy?"**_

" _ **Harry."**_

" _ **Well, Harry, get me some food and I'll tell you what I know."**_

" _ **Once I can get back inside, I'll see if I can get some food for you."**_

It was getting really late, midnight had already passed.

" _ **Has this happened before? That they left you outside for so long?"**_ Jewel asked after a few moments of silence.

" _ **They have locked me out of the house before, but not this late and in this cold. I wouldn't be surprised if they left me outside for the rest of the night. Lately their punishments have become more severe. And again, why do I keep telling you this? I don't want to talk about it!"**_ Harry replied, getting really upset.

" _ **I'm sorry. That is my fault. You see, I have an ability that is unique to my kind. No being alive can tell a lie in my presence. It's not something I can turn off, I have no control over it. My ability will compel you to tell the truth."**_

" _ **Oh. That's…"**_ Harry couldn't find the right words.

" _ **There is only one thing you can do, to avoid telling things you don't want to tell me. But it will require some time to learn."**_

" _ **Please teach me. I need to be able to lie to survive in this place. I don't want to tell what I feel and what I think to the Dursleys. They'll kill me for sure if they knew."**_

" _ **Isn't it better that I leave then? I don't want to get you killed."**_ After hearing this, Jewel lost confidence about staying with Harry. She'd rather be alone again than get her new friend killed.

' _Wait. Since when did he become my friend?'_ she asked herself, but didn't have time to think about it because Harry immediately answered.

" _ **No! Please don't go! You're the first person I met who talks to me like I'm not a freak. And you know what's really going on with me. I don't want you to leave. Please."**_ Pleaded Harry desperately.

"… _**Okay. I won't leave. I'll stay with you. But you have to promise me one thing. I have never trusted a human before. I want to trust you and stay with you, because, honestly, I'm starting to go insane from loneliness. So, promise me. Promise me I can trust you and that you'll never betray me. If you can do that, I'll do the same."**_

" _ **I promise."**_ Answered Harry without hesitation.

Jewel was in silent shock. After her mother died, she had been on her own. She stayed away from any human contact, because when she did come in contact with them, they would hurt her. And yet here she was, talking with this boy. Not only that, but she would place her trust in him. She was terrified and it went against every instinct in her body.

' _But I don't want to be alone anymore.'_

And with that the deed was done.

" _ **Then you have my word as well. I'll teach you everything I know. We'll stay together and we'll have each other's back."**_

Hearing those words, Harry smiled at her with tears in his eyes. It took Jewel by surprise.

" _ **W-What's wrong?"**_

" _ **Nothing. I finally have a friend. And I won't be alone anymore. It's been a long time since I felt happy."**_


	2. Chapter 1 Getting to know each other

**WARNING**

This chapter contains dark themes, such as mentions of child abuse. You have been warned.

* * *

Turns out, the Dursley's intended to leave Harry outside all night. And in all that time, Jewel and Harry talked, getting to know each other. But it wasn't long before the cold started to affect Harry. He had started shivering and his teeth would clatter while speaking. Yet Harry didn't complain once.

It showed proof of what the little boy had to endure before. He was in obvious distress, but didn't dare to speak up.

" **You're getting too cold, Harry. We need to warm you up, otherwise things could get bad for you."**

" **I-It's alright. I-I've had worse than t-this. I c-can handle it."** Harry answered, while trying to make himself as small as possible to keep the remaining heat he had to himself.  
 **"Besides, it's n-not like we can do m-much about it. The door is l-locked. I could g-get inside if I really w-wanted to, but if they k-know I did that…"**

" **They'll hurt you even worse."** Jewel finished, knowingly. **"I don't know if it'll work, but I can perform some magic. I'll see if I can do something to warm you up."**

Jewel closed her eyes and concentrated. She never had to do something like this, since she, herself, was immune to the cold.

She reached out to her magical core, inside herself. Every magical creature had one. It was the source of their magic.

She tried different things, she even tried to start a fire. But her magic wasn't strong enough to battle the low temperature.

Harry seemed to sense she couldn't do it and reassured her. **"It's a-alright. I'm glad y-you tried."**

" **No. I can do this. There is one last thing I can try, but I need you to keep this a secret."**

" **O-Of c-cour-rse."** The shivering became even worse and Jewel worried that Harry might get hypothermia if she didn't hurry.

Once again, Jewel closed her eyes. But this time, she succeeded in what she wanted to do.

She transformed herself back into her human form.

Harry was dumbstruck, as he clearly didn't expect that to happen.

Jewel was a small girl, smaller than Harry even. She had long black hair, that was tied in a really unkept pony-tail. Her eyes were a cold dark brown and reflected determination for her next task.  
She finally had a friend now, and she wasn't about to let him down. Besides, they had already promised each other to trust the other. She held on to that promise as she tried to warm Harry up again.

Jewel gathered her magic into her hands and willed it to heat up.

Harry was still dumbstruck and could only watch as Jewel's hands began to glow.

It was clear that it took Jewel a lot of effort, but she was able to expand the glow until it surrounded both of them.

"Better?" Jewel asked, this time in normal English.

"M-Much. But what?"

"Like I said earlier, I can do a little bit of magic. As a snake it's even more limited, so the only way this was going to work, was for me to turn back into a human."

"But, I thought you were a snake." Said Harry, clattering gone, now that he was warming up.

"That's what I wanted you to believe." Answered Jewel, worried that Harry was going to make a big deal out of it.

"That's really clever. Can I do that too? Turn into a snake? That would be so cool." Harry replied with enthusiasm.

Jewel was silent for a second before answering. "Sure. You have Parselmagic, after all. But I think it would take you a very long time to learn. Since you didn't know about magic before."

"Yes, about that. Am I really a wizard? Are you a witch then?"

"Yes, you're a wizard, Harry. And, no, I'm not a witch." Jewel said, getting amused by Harry's eagerness.

"I have so many questions, I don't know where to start. I can't even believe this is real. Maybe, I'm just getting delusional from the cold." Harry said, getting sad again.

In response to that, Jewel pinched Harry's arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"If you were dreaming, that wouldn't have hurt, now would it?" She said in a matter of fact voice.

"I guess you're right. Does that mean that, when I repaired that plate, I used magic?"

"Yes. It's called accidental magic. All wizards and witches experience this before they receive their wand. Now, before you ask, let me finish." Jewel said, seeing the questions practically pouring out of Harry.

"Since I'm not a witch, I didn't had that. But you did, so that's why I know for sure you are a wizard. Magical creatures, aside from witches and wizards, don't experience accidental magic, unless they are really, really powerful magic users, which I'm not. And about the wand. Once you get accepted into school, you can buy one for yourself. All young witches and wizards will be invited to attend one school or another when they turn eleven, you won't be an exception."

Harry's attention was completely devoted to Jewel and he listened to every word she spoke.

"We're in England, so it's probably going to be Hogwarts for you. How old are you now?"

"I'm ten. Then that means I'll get my invitation next year? Oh, I can't wait." Harry said happily. Until he seemed to remember something.

"But I'll never get to go. The Dudley's will never let me leave. They may not want me, but I'm still useful to them. And they probably wouldn't let me go, just because that's the opposite of what I want."

"You always mention them. But who are the Dursleys?"

"My family. It's uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia with their child Dudley. They're the only ones I have left."

"What do you mean?" Jewel asked, not really liking where this conversation was going.

"My parents died in a car crash when I was a baby. The Dursleys had to take me in, since I somehow survived. They never wanted me. I was mostly ignored at the beginning. But that was before I started doing freak things, like they call it. I didn't even knew what I was doing wrong. But ever since then, they started calling me a freak. They took away the few things I owned, and they put me in the cupboard under the stairs. They make me do the chores in the house. When it isn't up to their standards, they won't let me eat."

"Harry, just stop talking if you don't want to tell me this." Jewel interrupted Harry, seeing that he was getting upset again.

"No, I want to tell you. I never had someone to talk to and I need this. Please. Let me trust you, like you trust me."

Jewel thought about it for a moment. Harry looked at her desperately. She didn't know when he changed his mind about telling about his life, but if he really wanted to open up like this, then she wouldn't stop him.

"Okay, but should there be anything you don't want me to know, just say stop and I'll interrupt you. Otherwise, you won't stop until you're done."

Harry nodded and began speaking again. It was clear, though, that it affected Harry a lot, talking about his past.

Jewel was horrified as she listened to the things Harry told her. Not only would the Dursleys disallow Harry to eat, but they also abused him.

First with words, calling him a freak and worthless and a burden. Then, as he got older the abuse turned physical. They would hit him when he did something wrong in their eyes. It was the worst when accidental magic was involved. Then the abuse would increase in tenfold.

Harry told about days on end, where he was starved and locked in the cupboard. And how in the last year, his uncle Vernon started using his belt as a weapon to beat Harry up with.

It didn't end with the verbal abuse from his aunt and the physical abuse from his uncle, no, it passed on to their son.

Dudley grew up with being the good son and Harry being the freak. He thought it was normal for him to get everything, while Harry was beaten down. He even engaged in it himself. Never at home, though. There he would behave like a 'perfect' son. But at school, that was a different story.

Because of Dudley, Harry didn't have any friends. Everyone was scared away when they tried getting close to him. So Harry was left all alone, with no one to come to his aid. Even the teachers didn't seem to care.

"Is that why you are in pain, now? I could smell the blood on you in my snake form. It's because of the beatings, isn't it?" Jewel asked softly.

"Yes. It was brutal. But I'll be alright, my wounds always seem to heal fast."

"It's because of your magic."

"I figured that by now."

"Let me teach you about magic. I won't be able to teach you everything, since I can't do the things you will be able to do. But I can teach you the basic of magic and I can teach you about the wizarding world."

"That would be awesome. Maybe then I can get back at my 'family' for what they did to me." Harry said with anger and malice clear in his voice.

Jewel was taken aback. Until now, Harry seemed like a friendly boy, even with all the things he went through. Yet, Jewel understood Harry more than anyone.

She observed Harry, while he was deep in thought. Gone was the small frightened boy she met a few hours ago. Instead, she met with a stone cold face that promised pain and destruction.

Harry snapped out of his thoughts and instantly he reverted back to the scared boy from before. He looked panicked at Jewel.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I…I…" he was lost for words.

"I understand, Harry. There's no way that what happened to you didn't have consequences. If I ever meet the wizards who killed my mother, I will make their death long and painful."

This time, it was Harry who was taken aback. Jewel's face changed, just like his own.

They looked at each other and words weren't necessary, for they understood each other perfectly. Harry didn't know Jewel's story yet, but he was sure that it wasn't pleasant. She looked like his age, yet she was out in the cold on her own. Whatever happened, she had a dark side, just like him.

The two stayed in silence after that, each processing what just happened. They didn't notice that the sun was starting to show herself on the horizon.

Harry was the first one to recover from their stupor. "We need to come up with a plan. They can't see you and they can't see this." He gestured towards the warm glow that still surrounded the two.

"You're right. I think it's better if I turned back into a snake. That way I can hide under your shirt, so that I can go inside as well."

Harry nodded. "Make sure they never see you. We'll both be in serious trouble if they do."

"Don't worry, I've had years of training to stay out of sight. They won't find me if I don't want them to." Jewel answered, confident in her hiding abilities, before cancelling the magic surrounding them and transforming back into a snake.

" **Do you know what's going to happen now?"** she asked once fully transformed.

" **No, I don't. It depends on my uncle's mood. This is the first time they left me outside for the entire night. I don't know how they'll react."**

" **Then we'll have to adapt to the situation."**

" **Just… stay out of sight and let me handle it, okay? It most likely won't be pretty, but I know how to deal with it."**

Jewel nodded her tiny head and the two, once again, fell into silence, waiting for the Dursleys family to wake up.

* * *

"Inside! Now!" screamed Vernon when he suddenly slammed the door open.

Without saying anything, Harry obeyed hurriedly with his head hanging low.

Once inside, Harry's uncle gave him the order to start making breakfast. And again, without a word, Harry began his first chore of the day.

While he was preparing the omelettes, the other family members appeared downstairs and settled themselves at the table.

"I see he's fine." Said Petunia against her husband with disgust, when she saw Harry.

"Yes, I thought that the cold would at least bother him somewhat, but no such luck." Said Vernon in disappointment.

"We should punish him different next time. This clearly didn't affect him as we hoped and I can't imagine what the neighbors might think if they saw him. We shouldn't take that chance anymore." Petunia continued.

"You're right. I'll think of something."

They would do this most of the time, talk about Harry as if he wasn't present. They probably wanted Harry to hear what they would say about him.

Harry was used to this treatment, though. It was mild compared to the others. Jewel, on the other hand, was very tense with anger. She has heard the story that Harry had told her, but to witness it first-hand, was another matter.

She couldn't wait to teach Harry magic and turn the tables around. But for now, she calmed herself and stayed still under Harry's shirt.

She hoped that it wouldn't be long before they had some time for their own. Jewel still hadn't had anything to eat yet. And she suspected that Harry had been without food for a while as well.

She began forming a plan. She inconspicuously poked her head out, to map out the layout of the house.

"You do that." Petunia said, before she shifted her attention to her son. "Good morning, darling. How did you sleep? Is there something you want specifically to eat for school today?"

"I don't care what I get, I only care that it's plenty." Replied Dudley in answer to his mother.

"Very well, sweetheart. You heard him, boy. Do as your told." Petunia said, directing the last towards Harry.

"Yes, aunt Petunia." Replied Harry.

Now that put a slight damper on Jewel's plan. She didn't account that Harry still had to go to school. It must be a week day then.

" **Harry."** Jewel said softly.

" **Shhh. They'll hear me talking to you."** Replied Harry instantly.

" **Then just listen. They won't hear me from there, if I speak quietly enough."**

Harry glanced at the Dursleys at the table, and indeed, they hadn't noticed anything. Harry let Jewel continue.

" **I have a plan, but first I need to know how important school is for you. I assume you're going to a muggle school. Education is important, but I doubt that they will teach you anything of importance at your school right now. Nod your head if you still want to go to school today. Shake your head if you want to ditch school with me to work on our plans."**

Harry thought about it for a moment and then shook his head.

" **Alright. Then just pretend you're going to school, to get the Dursleys of your back and then find a way to get away."**

Harry nodded and resumed cooking.

Ten minutes later, the Dursleys had eaten, but Harry still wasn't allowed to eat. He was still being punished from yesterday.

Another ten minutes later, the bus arrived that would take them to school. In that time harry had been allowed to wash up a bit. They wanted him to keep up appearance after all.

Harry boarded the bus with Dudley and took his place in the front.

The ride to school only lasted about twenty minutes, and as always, Harry was tormented by Dudley and his friends. But it wasn't anything unusual for Harry and he ignored them.

The bus arrived at the gates of the school and everyone got off. While the other students made their way into the school, Harry stayed behind by the bus and waited.

Nobody payed attention to him anymore and Harry saw his chance.

" **Don't run, that will draw attention to you. Just calmly walk away."** Jewel advised him.

Harry did as told and got away without a problem.

" **I can't believe I'm doing this."** Harry said, more to himself, though.

Harry made his way towards the local park and found a secluded spot that was difficult to spot them from.

Once they were hid away, Jewel transformed back into her human form. And once she did, she did the same thing as yesterday. She made a warm sphere of magic around both of them. She had noticed that Harry wasn't wearing a coat and she didn't want him to become cold again.

"You said you had a plan?" Harry asked after they settled down.

"Sort off." Jewel answered. "First we need to get our hands on some food, because we both need it. Then we can start on learning magic. So, do your aunt and uncle have jobs? Do they leave the house today?"

"Uncle Vernon has his day job, so he won't be home until this evening. Aunt Petunia leaves the house this noon to go to her botanist club. She'll also be back this evening."

"Then we go back to your house at noon. I can get us in and then we'll have access to food. Do you think they'll notice if some of it goes missing?"

"I'm fairly certain they won't. I'm the one who goes groceries shopping and I'm the one in the kitchen, making food for them. So, if we don't take too much, they won't notice."

"Alright. You said you were the one that goes shopping. How come you don't buy yourself some food in a way that they won't notice?" Jewel asked curious.

"They always give me a list of things I need to buy, and they always check the bags I bring home. If I don't bring home exactly what they told me, it'll have consequences."

"Well, there's an easy solution for that. Buy a little extra, so that it isn't suspicious. And then give it to me. I can sneak it into the house. But you have to tell me where your room is."

"I don't have a room. I sleep in the cupboard."

"What? You told me that they would put you in the cupboard for days as punishment, but you didn't tell me that is where you actually sleep!"

"Must have left that out. But, yeah, my 'room' is the cupboard." Harry said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Oh, Harry. I promise you, once you know how to use your magic, things will change."

"Really?" Harry asked hopeful.

"Yes. Right now, you still need them to survive. But once you know your way around the magic world, you can leave your 'family' behind." Jewel said, saying the world 'family' with disgust. "You would never have to see them again."

"Are the laws in the wizarding world that different from the muggle world in legal age and stuff?"

"Not really. It won't be legal that you leave, but if I can live on my own for two years, then it should be easy for you. Plus, you won't be alone, we would be together."

"Why can't I leave right now?"

"Like I said, you still need them to survive. And besides…" Jewel wanted to say more, but suddenly stopped taking.

"Something wrong?" Harry asked worried.

"Not really. Harry, the Dursleys are all muggles, right? I suppose you won't know if you had any other magical family?" Jewel asked pensively.

"They're muggles, yes. And no, I wouldn't know, the only other family I know are my parents and how they died. I don't know if they were also muggles or not."

Jewel was deep in thought for a moment.

"We could find out."

"What?" Asked Harry confused, not knowing what Jewel was talking about.

"We can find out if your parents were wizards. And if we're lucky, you inherited things from them."

"What are you talking about?"

"There is this place, I'm pretty certain it's in London, it's called the Gringotts Bank. The bank is run by goblins. They control the money in the wizarding world, I think. But I know that I we could get there, we can ask if they know who your parents are. They could also tell us if they left you anything. If they were wizards, then they would have left you some wizarding money. If that's the case, then, depending on how much you inherited, you could be independent. Then you wouldn't have any need of your muggle family anymore. But that's if we're very lucky and if you're parents were indeed wizards." Jewel ranted.

"It's possible that my parents weren't wizards?"

"Sure, you could be the first in your family to be a wizard. It's called being a muggleborn. If that's the case, then you'll have nothing."

Harry was quiet and thought it about it.

"Well, only one way to find out, right?" He said.

"You're right." Jewel said hesitantly.

"Is there something the matter?" Harry asked, noticing her reluctance.

"Gringotts Bank is located in a place called Diagon Alley. It's a place that only magical people can access. It's also always very busy, from what I've learned. Many shops are located there and the place is really popular."

"I don't see the problem." Harry answered unsure.

"I'm… not really comfortable around wizards and witches. The place will be crawling with them. I don't think I can go there." She said, the last sentence almost in a whisper.

"Why not?" Harry asked cautiously.

"It's a long story." Jewel answered after a few seconds.

"We have until noon before we go back to the house. There's plenty of time to tell me."

"Are you sure you want to know? It isn't a happy story."

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to? My story isn't exactly a fairy tale either." He said, trying to get her to open up.

Jewel hugged herself and didn't look at Harry. Harry waited patiently for a response, which came a minute later.

"Okay, I'll tell you. It's only fair." Jewel took a deep breath and began her story.

"When I was born, it was just my mother and me. I haven't told you this yet, but I'm not a normal human. I'm a creature called a Monarus. My mother was one as well. I don't know who my father is, but I suspect he is, or was a wizard. It would explain why I have the Parselmagic.

Anyway, being a Monarus means that we are a hunted creature. For as long as I can remember, me and my mother were always on the run, always on the move. She taught me everything I know, including all the things about the wizarding world. She always told me to know your enemy."

"Does that mean that you were hunted by wizards?" Harry asked in utter disbelief.

"Yes"

"But why?"

"I told before that I have a unique ability that compels you to tell the truth. I also have the ability to speak any human language. Because of those abilities, we were considered dangerous and the wizards sought to extinct us. From a certain age, we also gain the ability to transform into our true form, which is quite a change."

"I still don't understand. Why would those be the reasons for hunting the Monarus? Sounds to me like a Monarus could be a great asset."

"You're only one of the few who think that way. Did you know that it is legal in the wizarding world to kill a Monarus on sight? It's an old law, but it still exists."

"That's horrible!"

"I know. And it doesn't end there. Two years ago, when I was seven years old. Me and my mother encountered a group of wizards who had been on our tail for quite some time." Jewel had to take a break, as she tried to keep herself from crying, the memory of what happened was horrible to recall.

"I'm sorry. I tried leaving that behind me, I've never talked about it before and I never allowed myself to think about it again. My only concern should be surviving." She said, trying very hard not to cry now.

"It's okay. Take your time. I'm here for you. You need to get this of your chest someday. Might as well do it now." Harry said, while he got closer to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder in support, not quite daring to give her a hug, despite wanting to.

Jewel nodded and took a moment to calm herself down.

"The wizards caught up to us and we had no choice but to fight back. I say we, but it was my mother who fought the wizards. I was petrified and I couldn't do anything. The battle raged on and my mother was losing. She…" she said, tears falling from her eyes.

This time, Harry left his worries behind and pulled Jewel into his arms. She immediately buried her head into his shoulder and cried.

Harry could already guess what happened next, but he stayed quiet as he wanted to give Jewel all the time she needed.

"She told me to run." Jewel said after a while. "She made me promise that I would survive and she told me to run and never look back. And I did."

"It's okay." He reassured her.

"I ran, and I didn't look back. And I've been running ever since."

"That's why you were all alone." Harry said softly.

"Yes. I didn't trust anyone and I stayed away from any human contact."

The two stayed silent after that. Harry was still holding on to Jewel as he processed what he had just been told.

Harry didn't have an easy life, but now he knew that Jewel hadn't had one either.

"Then why did you come to me?" Harry asked after Jewel calmed down again.

"I'm not sure myself. I saw you in the cold and I could smell blood on you. It made me curious. I had every intention to run away when you saw me. But then you spoke to me in Parsel. It had been such a long time since I last talked to another human being. And you being able to talk Parsel, meant that I didn't have to reveal my true self to you. So I took the chance. And after talking to you, I realized that we had so much in common. That's why a proposed the promise of trust to you."

"I'm glad you did."

"Me too." Jewel answered, while wiping her tears away.

There was still some time left before noon and Jewel took that time to explain Harry what a Monarus looked like. She hadn't seen one other than her mother, so she described her to him.

When harry asked if Jewel could show him her true form, Jewel informed him that she was too young to be able to transform. There were also some requirements that needed to be fulfilled in order to achieve the transformation. All of which weren't possible to do right now.

Next they talked about their plan to get to Diagon Alley. Jewel knew it was located somewhere in London, but she didn't know the exact location. However, she knew of a bus for wizards that could show up anywhere and everywhere to take you where you wanted to go, but she didn't know how to summon it.

"If we could get to London we could just ask people if they know where it is." Harry said.

"Maybe. You have to be careful with that, though. Muggles won't know what you're talking about."

"Then we just keep talking to people until we encounter a wizard, simple."

"For you, maybe. But, now you know why I don't like being near wizards. So, don't expect me to talk to strangers, especially ones that could possibly be wizards."

"Then, how about you travel with me as a snake? You can hide under my clothes, like you did this morning."

Jewel thought about it, but her face told him she wasn't convinced.

"Think of it as practice. Once I go to Hogwarts, I plan on taking you with me. You promised we would stay together after all. You might not be a witch, but you're still a magical being, so you're coming with me." Harry said determined.

Jewel didn't have a response to that. She knew Harry was right, she had made the promise that they would stay together. But she hadn't thought that far ahead when she did. Yet, she still didn't answer.

"Think of the things we will learn at Hogwarts. You can't use magic like I can, but you can still do magic. Aren't you at least curious about what else you could learn? I'm pretty sure they will teach us things that could be useful in day to day survival."

"You're being too reasonable, you know that? And it all makes sense, too. Fine, I'll go with you. But that doesn't mean that I like it!" Jewel said with a huff.

Harry gave her a broad smile. "I knew I could count on you." He was happy that she wasn't crying anymore.

"You're also pretty manipulative, I didn't notice before." Jewel said amused.

"Oh, really? I didn't notice, either." Harry responded, feigning innocence.

It made Jewel giggle, which in turn made Harry smile. The mood was considerably better than before.

Before they knew it, noon had arrived. To be on the safe side, Jewel transformed back into her snake form and crawled back under Harry's clothes when they made their way back to the house.

When they arrived, they found the door locked, like expected.

Looking around the street, they discovered that is was devoid of any other human life, which was perfect for what Jewel had planned.

She transformed once again. She was about to perform some magic and she needed to be in her human form to be able to do it.

She leaned against the door and whispered. **"Open."** And like magic, pun intended, the door opened.

When they went inside, Harry let out a sigh of relief, glad that it worked.

"Okay, you know what the Dursleys won't miss, so you go ahead and take what you can. Be sure to get some extra food to stash away in your cupboard." Jewel said.

"Will do." Harry answered and got to work.

First he gathered some things and put them away in the cupboard like Jewel had said.

Next he went back to the kitchen and grabbed some pots and cooking utensils. Then, he grabbed some ingredients.

"What are you doing?" Asked Jewel, while she watched Harry.

"Uhm, cooking?" He answered, not sure what Jewel was getting at.

"Are you sure that's okay? Won't they notice?"

"Not if we clean up. Don't worry about it, I've done this plenty of times. Do you like chicken with rice and curry?"

"I like chicken, but I never had rice before. And what's curry?" Jewel asked.

"Wait, you never had rice before? How come? And how can you not know curry?"

"I told you that I've always lived on the run. I usually hunt for my food, or gather things from the wild. When my mother was still alive, we would sometimes steal food. But, once it was just me, I never had the courage to do so." She said sadly.

"Well, that's about to change. Give me a couple of minutes and I'll introduce to you a whole new world, called a delicious meal."

"You're pretty confident about that."

"I've been cooking for as long as I can remember, so I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing." Harry answered cocky.

"We'll see about that." Answered Jewel amused.

True to his word, when Harry finished preparing the food, Jewel took one bite with wide eyes, before hastily shoveling food in her mouth.

"Hey, slow down! You're gonna choke yourself."

"Don't care. This has to be the best meal I ever had."

"It's a pretty basic meal, but I'm glad you like it."

After they had eaten, they cleaned up the kitchen. There was no trace left that they had ever been there.

"I've been thinking, Harry." Jewel said as she put away the last dishes. "I think it's better to wait to go to Diagon Alley until you receive your Hogwarts letter."

"Why?"

"You plan on asking random people where the place is, who knows how long that'll take. If we wait, then our chances of finding a wizard are much bigger. Think about it, you're not the only one who's going to receive a letter. So the new students will all go to Diagon Alley, because they also need their school stuff."

"I get what you're saying, but that doesn't mean I like it. it means that I have to spend more time in this prison."

"Well, we don't have the time today, but from tomorrow on, I'm going to teach you the basic of magic. You need to understand it before you can properly use it."

"Is it going to be difficult to learn? Magic, I mean." Harry asked worryingly.

"That depends on your magical core. Each magical creature has one, and depending on how big it, magic will come more easily to you. My magical core isn't very big. That's why I can't perform more than just some basic spells. Being a Parsel mouth helps, but not much."

"I see. I'll guess I'll find out then. How are we going to do this? We can under no circumstances let the Dursleys find out."

"We have to find time to spend alone, like today. It's not going to be easy, but I'm sure we'll manage. And worst case scenario, we'll run away."

"I guess you're right."

The pair made their way back to Harry's school, they needed Harry to keep up appearance after all. There was only an hour of school left, but it seemed like nobody missed Harry.

Instead of feeling sad, about not being missed and being overlooked, Harry felt relieved that he wasn't going to be reported to his aunt and uncle. It was one less problem to worry about.

The bus ride back home was similar to this morning, with Harry getting bullied by this nephew and his friends. But Harry felt hopeful about the future and it was easier to ignore them this time.

When the bus dropped the three of, Harry already know what was expected of him and without greeting his family, who were also home by now, he began making dinner.

Even though he had a good meal at noon, Harry still hoped that he was allowed to eat this time. But it seemed like the Dursley's were still not through with punishing him.

"When you're done, you're going to clean the house. And so help me if I find even one speck of dust when you're done." Petunia said.

Normally, that would have been it, but it seems like today Vernon had something to add as well. "And when the house is clean, you're going to report to me. We're going to have a another lesson in discipline."

Harry dreaded what Vernon would have in store for him today and he really didn't want to, but nodded anyway.

"Good." Said Vernon darkly, before settling himself in front of the television.

Harry resumed making dinner when Jewel poked her head out of Harry's sleeve.

" **What did he mean by that? You tensed up when he said that. What's going to happen?"** She asked worryingly, in a husked voice.

Compelled by Jewel's ability Harry answered in a equally husked voice. **"He's going to beat me up."**

Jewel was seething with anger by his answer. Oh, how she wished Harry could perform magic, then he wouldn't have to go through this any longer. But sadly, she knew she wasn't strong enough to protect him and she couldn't risk revealing herself, lest they both got into more trouble.

" **I'm so, so sorry. I wish I could help you. But I'm not strong enough to keep you from harm."**

" **It's alright. You being here will make this more bearable. And I know you want to protect me, but you're already doing so much for me, so let me protect you this time."** He said determined.

" **What do you mean?"**

" **After I cleaned the house, you'll go to my cupboard and wait for me there."**

" **And let you go through that all alone? I don't think so."**

" **Please, if you stay with me, there's a good chance you'll get hurt as well. Or even worse, you'll get discovered. There's no need for both of us getting hurt. It will ease my mind, knowing that you are safe."**

Suddenly, Jewel got a flashback to what happened with her mother. Her mother died protecting her, and now her new friend was going to take a beating. And once again, she can do nothing but watch. She quickly realized that she hates not being able to do anything. She hates it, and she hates herself for not being stronger.

For the rest of the evening the two didn't say a word to each other. Harry still wasn't allowed to eat, not that it came as a surprise. Only after Harry was done with all his chores, late in the evening, Jewel felt the need to say something, but she couldn't find the right words.

" **H-Harry…"**

" **It's okay. I know. I'll see you soon, okay?"** And with these words, Harry left Jewel in his cupboard to go face his uncle alone.

* * *

AN. So what do you think? I would love to know.

I know this is a dark chapter, things will look up for the pair soon (probably, then again, knowing Harry's luck...). XD

I'm still looking for a beta for this story. I have tried contacting some people, but I haven't gotten much response. So if anyone's interested, don't be shy to PM me. ;3


	3. Chapter 2 Learning magic

It was dark in the cupboard where Jewel was waiting for Harry to return. The house was quiet, except from the occasional thump that would come from upstairs, where Vernon had taken Harry.

It had been a little over half an hour since Harry left to face his uncle alone, but it seemed like an eternity for Jewel. The only thing she could do was to hope that it would be over soon. Seconds seemed like hours while she waited.

She had remained in her snake form and slithered nervously across the small space in the cupboard underneath the stairs.

The was nothing more she wanted to do than to go and help her friend, but she knew that if she did that, the outcome would be even worse that it already was. And that is why she waited, in the dark, on her own, fearing for Harry.

Jewel realised now that not only witches and wizards were cruel and dangerous, muggles were capable of violence as well. She decided that from now on all humans were dangerous and were to be avoided. Only Harry, he was the only one who she would trust. Because, he was just like her, at the mercy of humanity.

The door of the cupboard suddenly opened, jerking Jewel out of her thoughts. With lightning fast reflexes, she hid herself from sight, just in time to avoid the gaze of a satisfied looking Vernon.

"Here we are, back where you belong." Vernon said as he shoved Harry into the cupboard. "And if I hear any noise coming from you tonight, then so help me, I WILL beat you again." And with that he slammed the door closed. His thundering footsteps could be heard walking away from the hallway, leaving Harry and Jewel alone in the quiet and the dark.

Jewel was shocked at the state her friend was in. Harry was shirtless and his pants were in tatters. He had big bruises littered all over his body. But that wasn't the worst. The worst were the cuts across his torso. They were bleeding quite badly.

Jewel could see Harry breathing, so she knew he was still alive. But, he looked like death, his skin too white to be heathy. He lay on his side, facing Jewel, but not seeing her, his glasses missing as well.

"J-Jewel?" Harry called out weakly.

" **I'm here."** She answered immediately, revealing herself.

The smell of his blood assaulted her senses, but that wouldn't deter Jewel from comforting her friend.

" **Harry, I'm… I'm so sorry."** She said, lost for words at his state.

"It's alright." Harry said in a weak voice.

" **No, it's not. Is there something I can do to help you?"**

Harry lifted his arm and stretched it out towards Jewel. She understood the gesture and slithered around appendage. Once she was in place, Harry brought his arm with Jewel on close to him.

"You're here. I'm not alone anymore. What more could I ask for." Harry said, slowly.

" **But your wounds…"**

"Will heal." He interrupted. "I admit, he never used a knife before. But, I'm sure that I'll be alright in the morning."

Jewel was quiet before she said; **"Are you really sure that there is nothing I can do?"**

"Just… stay with me. please." He begged, his voice slipping into a whisper.

" **I will. I won't leave your side. I promise."** She reassured him, meaning every word.

"Thank you." Harry said, before falling into unconsciousness.

And for the rest of the night, Jewel stayed awake and guarded over Harry. It seemed like Harry told the truth about his wounds. Overnight, the worst of his wounds seemed to heal.

The knife cuts stopped bleeding and closed up, and the biggest bruises faded away until you could barely see them. However, the smallest cuts and the smaller bruises remained unchanged.

Hours later, Jewel heard the thundering footsteps of the larger residents of the house descending the stairs, signalling that it was morning.

Jewel considered crawling away to hide, but decided against it. She would keep her promise to Harry. Besides, the duo were positioned in such a way that whomever opened the door, couldn't see her unless Harry turned around.

Harry was still asleep and unaware of his surroundings. Opposite of him, Jewel waited tensely for something to happen. She could hear the three muggles gathering in the kitchen. She assumed it wouldn't be long before one of them would come and get Harry to make them breakfast.

Yet, time passed and nothing happened. This confused Jewel, but then she remembered that Harry told her that sometimes the Dursleys would lock Harry up in here for several days.

Not yet completely convinced that this was the case, Jewel remained on high alert.

The lack of sleep hadn't bothered her yet, she was accustomed to little sleep and could stay awake for a long time if she had to. Of course, the longer she stayed awake, the weaker she would get. But Jewel was determined to stay awake until Harry recovered.

Time passed on and Harry still didn't give any signs of waking up. Jewel was worried, but his wounds were slowly healing, so she kept waiting by his side.

It wasn't until the late afternoon that Harry stirred. He took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.

"Jewel?" He called out again.

" **I'm here."** Came the same reply as yesterday. She hadn't moved from her spot around his arm.

Once Harry confirmed that she was still there, he relaxed and exhaled. **"How long have I been out?"**

" **I don't know how long exactly, but it's almost evening. So you slept for almost an entire day."**

" **I see."** He responded softly. **"Were you able to get some sleep?"**

" **You shouldn't worry about me. worry about yourself. I'm not the one who got injured."**

Harry smiled at her answer. **"You didn't answer my question."**

" **I'm fine. How about you? How are you feeling? Not all of your wounds are healed."**

" **Usually the worst ones heal first, since they are dangerous for my health. It's always been like that."** He explained. **"I didn't expect to be fully healed today. I'm pretty sure that my leg was broken and a few of my ribs cracked. Vernon went all out, so it's probably going to be awhile before everything's healed."**

" **I didn't know it was that bad."** Jewel said sadly. **"I only saw the cuts and the bruises."**

" **His punishments are getting more severe lately."** Harry said as he pushed himself into a sitting position, hissing at the pain the movement brought. **"And I fear it's only going to get worse."**

And just like that, Jewel felt incredibly powerless. No matter how badly she wanted to do protect Harry, she doesn't know how to do so, without making it worse.

Harry seemed to know what Jewel was thinking about. **"On the bright side, after such a heavy beating, they usually keep me locked up in here for a couple of days."**

" **And that's good, why exactly?"** She asked sceptically.

" **We now have our own food supply in here, so we won't starve. AND now we have plenty of time for you to teach me about magic."**

" **You have a point there, but are you sure that's safe? What if they hear you?"**

" **We can start with the basics. You said it yourself, without the proper knowledge, magic is difficult to learn."** Harry said, getting excited of the thought of finally learning magic.

" **You're right. I won't be able to teach you spells a wizard can use. But I CAN teach you about the different kinds of magic and how to properly use them. If you're a fast learner, you might be able to try using said magic."**

Harry nodded enthusiastically and devoted his attention fully to Jewel, who slithered off his arm and unto the bed.

" **Let's start simple. Magic comes in many forms and to be able to properly use it, you must understand that magic isn't a tool for you to use at your beck and call. You need to be able to understand it's language and respect that it's a living being."**

" **It's language? You mean like the name of a spell?"**

" **Not necessarily. Wizards and witches name their spells and use wands to help them perform the magic. But if you truly understand, then you won't need either of them."**

" **Like when you did to warm me up in the garden?"** Harry asked, remembering the warmth of the magic.

" **Sort of. The kind of magic I used will be different to the kind of magic you will use. Magic can allow you to do anything. But you have to know what you're doing. And don't forget about practise. You can't expect to perform magic perfectly from the first time."**

" **That makes a lot of sense."**

" **It does. I told you before that every magical being has a magical core that determines which kind of magic you can use, and the bigger it is, the more potential you have. My core is small and limited. I have access to Elemental Magic because of my Monarus heritage, and Parsel Magic, which I had to have inherited from my father. However, you can make your own core grow bigger by training. But it takes time and determination."**

" **Do you know how big my core is?"**

" **We shall find out once we start practising, I can't just tell by looking at you. Besides Parsel Magic, you will be able to perform Ancient Magic."**

" **Ancient Magic?"** Harry asked puzzled.

" **Yes. It's the magic that witches and wizards use. Like the name suggests, this magic is very old, it dates back to the beginning of time. This magic allows you to do almost anything you want."**

" **And I can use Ancient Magic?"** Harry asked gesturing to himself, almost in disbelief that he could be able to wield such a power.

" **You are a wizard, so, yes."**

Harry brought his hand towards his chin and thought about something for a while. **"Hmmm, you said that you inherited Parsel Magic from your father. Does that mean that, since I have it too, I have inherited it as well? That my parents, or at least one, was magical?"**

" **That does seem like the logical conclusion."** Jewel grinned. **"Looks like you aren't a muggle born, after all. Which means that you'll inherit at least something, once we travel to Gringotts Bank."**

" **That's amazing!"** Harry exclaimed, trying to be as quiet as possible while being excited. **"Finally, something to look forward to."**

Jewel hushed him. **"Yes, but don't get your hopes up too high, Harry. We don't know how much it will be. Hogwarts isn't a free institution you know."**

Harry nodded, yet his mood remained high.

" **Back to your magic lesson."** Jewel said, once she realised that they got of topic. **"Other than my Elemental Magic, our Parsel Magic and your Ancient Magic, there are still many other types of magic. I know of quite a few, but I think it's better to focus first on the magic we know for sure you can perform. The easiest for me to teach you would be Parsel Magic, since we can both use it."**

" **Good idea. When do we start?"** He said, eagerly.

" **I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Let's eat something first."**

" **Fair enough."** Harry laughed.

* * *

Over the course of the next three days, Jewel taught Harry about Parsel Magic.

She told him that one can use this magic to turn words into reality. If you speak a word in Parsel, and you understand what you're saying, it becomes real.

For example, when Jewel used her Parsel Magic to open the locked door of the house, she couldn't just say ' **open** ' and expect it to happen. It worked because Jewel was focused on her goal, and because she knew the cause and reaction; by moving components inside the lock, the lock will unlock. Combining these three things made it possible.

In conclusion, in order to use Parsel Magic, you need the knowledge of what will happen, the knowledge of how it happens and the focus to pull it off.

"Why isn't this working?" Harry asked frustrated.

"Patience, Harry. You can do this, you just need to practise." Replied Jewel in a calm voice, hoping to calm the agitated boy down.

"I know that." He pouted. "But I've been practising for hours now. You said that this would be an easy beginning. *sigh* I'm sorry. I shouldn't get so worked up about this."

"It's okay, I understand."

Jewel was currently in her human form. The small space of the cupboard was filled to the brim with the two children. It was awkward sitting facing each other with their legs intertwined, especially since Harry only wore his tattered pants, but after a while they got used to it.

The reason that Jewel wasn't a snake, was because it was the only way she would be able to demonstrate the magic that Harry was learning.

"I believe in you, Harry. You never knew how to use magic before, so it's only natural that it doesn't come easy for you right now. Once you get the hang of it, it will get easier." Reassured Jewel.

"Okay. Show me again?"

"Of course."

Jewel put her hand palm up between them. "I want to create a small light source in my hand. So, I need to focus my magic into my palm, know that my hand will shine and that my surroundings will light up in reaction."

She looked at her hand and concentrated. **"Light."**

Not a second later, a small ball of light sat upon her palm. It lighted the entire small space with a gentle white light.

After letting Harry look at it, she closed her hand, cancelling the magic. The cupboard shrouded in darkness once again.

Harry nodded, put his hand between them, like Jewel had done, and closed his eyes.

"My hand will shine and light up the room." He said before opening his eyes and looking at his hand. **"Light."**

For a brief moment, Harry's hand glowed slightly, yet it quickly flickered out. It didn't even resemble the ball of light that Jewel had created.

"I don't understand what I'm doing wrong." Harry said, getting frustrated again.

"I don't know either. When I learned about Parsel Magic, this technique worked for me. I don't know why you're not able to do it."

"Maybe my core is so small, that I can't even perform something this simple." Harry said in a whisper. It was something he came to fear deeply.

"I don't believe that. There is no way that your core is even smaller than mine. There is an explanation for this. The only question is what." Jewel replied convinced.

The duo stared at each other, Harry deep in thought and Jewel giving him a moment of peace. And now the small dark space was silent as well. The only sounds that were heard, came from the kitchen, where the Dursleys were gathered.

Vernon and Petunia were faintly talking to each other. Jewel couldn't make out what they were saying, she didn't care anyway. But Harry seemed to pick something up that she didn't.

"They're coming to get me!" Harry said in an alarmed voice.

And like they had agreed beforehand, Jewel instantly transformed into her snake form and hid herself into the back of the cupboard. Harry laid down on the matrass and waited for the moment the door would open.

He was tense, Jewel didn't blame him. Who knows what mood they would be in.

That question was answered when the door opened. It was Petunia. She looked at him with a sneer and threw a bundle of clothes at Harry.

"Get dressed. I want you in the living room in five minutes." She didn't even wait for an answer and closed the door again.

Not daring to disobey, Harry grabbed the bundle, which contained a pair of pants, a T-shirt, a pair of socks, some underwear and a sweater. All of it way to big on Harry. They were obviously old clothes from his nephew Dudley.

Once Harry had changed, Jewel crawled into his sleeve.

" **Better not keep them waiting."** Harry said, to which Jewel nodded.

The two arrived in the living room where all three Dursleys were present. It wasn't a surprise that none of them asked if Harry was alright.

"We are having some guests over tomorrow." Vernon started. "They do not know you live here. They don't even know you exist. So, here's what's going to happen. You will go to the store today and get everything we need for the meals we are going to serve tomorrow. Everything is written down on that paper." He gestured at the piece of paper that lay on the kitchen table, next to the required money. "We notified the school that you have been ill this week, today included, so you won't go to school today." Vernon said, gleefully.

Harry was glad for small miracles. Vernon thought that Harry liked going to school. He couldn't be further from the truth.

"Since it's Saturday tomorrow, you will go and stay at the park for the whole day. You stay there until we come to get you. Not a second sooner, you hear? And don't you dare to do anything freakish while you're there. You know what will happen if you do. Hmpf, you should be grateful that we let you out of the house, we could have easily have kept you locked up."

Harry nodded to show he understood, he didn't dare to speak.

"Good. Well then get going!" Vernon bellowed.

Not being needed to be told twice, Harry grabbed the list and the money, put on his old, dirty shoes and left the house.

Once he closed the door of the house behind him, Jewel poked her head out of her hiding spot in his sleeve.

" **Finally, some fresh air."**

" **Yeah, too bad it's so cold outside."**

" **Doesn't bother me."** Jewel said with a smirk, successfully ridding Harry of his tension.

" **Alright you."** Harry laughed. **"Let's get to the store."**

As they went on their way, Jewel started a conversation.

" **Tomorrow is the perfect opportunity to practise some more magic. We can go to that spot you showed me before, no one will see us there."**

" **Yeah."** Harry answered, yet didn't sound enthusiastic about it.

" **What's wrong?"**

"… **What if I'm just not capable of doing magic?"** Harry said insecure.

" **Harry, I told you before, you just need to figure out how to do it. Once you get past that, there'll be no stopping you."**

" **You really think so?"**

" **I'm certain."**

" **I'll trust your word then."**

" **Patience, Harry. Patience and practise."**

They arrived at the store. Harry bought everything on the list, some things bigger in quantity to use for their own stash.

" **I was wondering."** Jewel said when they exited the store. **"If we hadn't met, you would have gone all this time without food. And you are literally holding bags of food in your hands, right now. I bet you wouldn't even have thought about stealing some, right? How in the world did you handle that before?"**

Harry thought about it before answering. **"Fear, I guess. You saw what they do to me when they're not happy with me. I'd rather go hungry than suffer from the torture."**

" **Doesn't that make you want to hurt them? Like they did to you?"**

" **You have no idea."** Harry scoffed. **"I promised myself that if I survived long enough, I would take revenge on them. I can't stay weak forever, right?"**

" **You're far from weak, Harry. And I'll make sure that you'll be able to keep your promise. It starts with our magic lessons."** She said smugly, knowing that she's convinced him that the lessons weren't a hopeless case.

Harry smiled fondly at Jewel. **"You know, you're the first good thing that happened to me in my life."**

" **Yes."** Jewel agreed. **"Meeting you has been the highlight of my life as well."**

Harry and Jewel might have only known each other for less than a week, but during that time the bond they formed became unbreakable. They would go through literal fire for each other.

A few minutes later, the two arrived back at the house. Harry was finally allowed to eat the rest overs from the day prior. Harry wasn't really hungry, since he'd already eaten from their own stash. But to keep up appearances, he ate the small portion.

After that, he was ordered to clean the entire house in preparation of the house visit. It took most of the day to do and Harry was exhausted by the time he was done.

After a thorough inspection from Petunia, he was again allowed to eat something before they send him to his cupboard.

" **You know, the way they treat you, reminds me of how some purebloods treat their house elves."** Jewel said, once they were alone.

" **Purebloods and house elves?"** Harry asked, having no idea what those were.

" **Purebloods are witches and wizards who are born into a family consisted purely of witches and wizards. Their whole family is magical. Many purebloods families consider themselves superior to others because of that. House elves are a race of, well, elves. Their only purpose is to serve their magical master. You won't find a pureblood families without their own house elves. So, some pureblood families treat their house elves with no respect and sometimes even abuse."**

" **That's horrible!"**

" **Why are you surprised? It's in human nature to be cruel."** Jewel said, like it was a fact.

" **Well, there has to be SOME people out there who aren't hell bent on making our lives miserable."**

Jewel sighed. **"I used to think that too. But as far as I know, you're the only exception to me."**

Harry smiled sadly, unlike Jewel, he still had some hope left that there were good people in the world.

Instead of answering, Harry couldn't help but let out a big yawn.

" **Let's get some sleep."** Jewel said, knowing that Harry was tired of today's work.

" **Now that's a nice idea. I can get behind that."**

Their lives were difficult, but just by being together, the world seemed a little bit brighter.

They said their goodnights and went to bed.

* * *

The next morning was back to normal for Harry. He was woken up and expected to make breakfast. He was getting used to the weight of Jewel hanging of his arm. It made him feel more at ease.

" **It would be so easy to poison them now. Just a little slip of rat poison and this hell would be over."** Harry whispered while making breakfast.

" **Where would the fun in that be? I thought you wanted to make them suffer?"** Jewel replied, not wanting him to do anything drastic just yet.

" **I know. Sometimes I like to imagine all the ways I could use to kill them. I can see it, them choking on their own blood as the poison destroys them from the inside out."**

This was Harry's dark side surfacing. Jewel didn't mind, but they had to be careful that the Dursleys wouldn't see his face right now. Harry wasn't exactly hiding his hate for them. Luckily the Dursleys were busy discussing their plans for the day.

After breakfast, Harry was thrown out of the house with the order to stay in the park until he was summoned. For once, he was allowed to wear a coat.

Arriving at the park, the duo went straight towards their little hiding spot. Jewel transformed and erected the warmth barrier again, just to be safe, in case the coat couldn't keep Harry warm.

"Okay, so let's try the light ball again." Jewel said, eager to start.

Harry sighed, he didn't have much hope, but complied anyway and closed his eyes. He put his hand in front of him, like before. He concentrated for a few seconds before he said the word; **"Light."**

Immediately after he spoke the word, his hand glowed so bright that both he and Jewel had to shield their eyes and look away. This broke Harry's concentration and the light faded away.

Harry was speechless. Not only did he just perform magic, but it came so natural and easy.

Jewel, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "Harry, you did it! I knew you could do it!" She then proceeded to give Harry a tight hug.

But, when she did that, she sensed that Harry wasn't in the celebratory mood. She let him go and asked what was wrong.

"Something is not right." Harry replied, looking at his hand.

"What do you mean? You did everything right. You pulled it off effortlessly." Jewel said, confused to why Harry wasn't happy.

"That's not what I mean. Let me try this again."

Wanting to try one more time, Harry did exactly the same as before and got the same results. He created such a bright light, that both had to look away again.

Jewel grinned. "At this rate, we might need to train you to limit the amount of magic you use. You're pretty powerful, Harry."

"And that's what doesn't make sense." He said, gaining another confused look from Jewel. "I don't know how to explain it. When I tried this in the cupboard, it felt like my magic was always just out of reach. It was there, I could feel it, but I couldn't access it. When I do it now, it comes so easy. I don't have any trouble reaching my magic."

Jewel gave some thought about what Harry told her. "That's strange. Are you sure that you didn't just now figure out how to do it? Maybe you're overthinking it?"

"Maybe. But that how I feels like to me."

"Then we need to test it out. To be sure. I'll teach you something else. Let's see how fast you'll learn. And then, after we get back to the cupboard, we try the same thing again to see if there's any difference."

Harry nodded. "Let's do that. I hope I'm wrong, though."

"Okay then, we'll try levitation. This is going to be much more difficult than creating light." Jewel said, hoping to get Harry excited. She succeeded. "I can only lift small objects over a small amount of distance. Let's see what you're capable of."

At the mere sound of being able to levitate stuff, Harry's worries melted away and were replaced by wonder and eagerness.

Jewel went into teacher mode. "What have you learned, Harry? What do we need to pull this off?"

Harry sat up straight, impersonating the 'perfect' student. "Focus, and the knowledge of cause and reaction."

"Very good. Ten points. But then, what is the cause and reaction?"

"Uhm. By surrounding an object with magic, it will start to levitate?" He said, a little uncertain about his answer.

"Close. What keeps an object on the ground?"

"Let me think. Oh!" He said as he remembered what he learned in school. "Gravity!"

"Yes! So, what's the cause?" Jewel asked again.

"By removing gravity from an object, it will start to levitate." He said, more sure of himself.

"Close enough. It's a bit more complicated than that, however, it is enough to know you need to counteract gravity on the object you want to move. Your magic will know what to do."

"Let's try it! Can you show me?" Harry asked eager to get started.

"Sure." Jewel picked up a small pebble and placed it between them. **"Levitate."**

Slowly, but surely, the pebble floated upwards until it was their eye height level.

"With enough practise, you can move your object freely around you." Jewel said while she demonstrated, making the pebble do circles around them. "I can't maintain control over this rock if it goes any further than it is now. But I suspect that, once you get the hand of it, your reach will be much greater than mine."

"Before I try." Harry said, his attention on the pebble. "You told me before that one can train their own magical core to become bigger. You say yours is small. Can you train yours to become stronger?"

"I could, but it will never have as much protentional as a witch or wizards. In theory, I could develop my Elemental Magic to become very powerful."

"Then why haven't you already?" Harry asked, genuinely curious.

Jewel was silent, she looked down and hugged herself, before giving her answer. "I was more focussed on survival and the magic that could contribute to that. Besides, until I gain my Monarus form, I don't have full access to Elemental Magic. Performing magic takes energy, energy that I could use for doing other things, and it could draw unwanted attention, so I only performed magic if it was necessary."

"And yet you know so much about magic."

"Everything I know, I learned from my mother and Thoron, the snake I told you about."

"Well then, now's your chance to practise! We can learn to be stronger, together."

"Let's first see if you're able to learn. We've side-tracked from your lesson." Jewel said amused, innerly very happy that Harry cared for her and her magic.

Harry laughed, putting his hand behind his head. "I guess we have. Let me try this."

He closed his eyes and concentrated.

"POTTER!" Came a loud voice, suddenly out of nowhere.

Harry and Jewel flinched, both with different reasons.

Jewel flinched because she was startled from the sudden noise. Harry, on the other hand, knew who the voice belonged to.

"Potter!" Came the voice again. "I know you're here! Come out and play!"

Harry and Jewel were hidden from sight, but Harry didn't relax, like Jewel did when she realised that.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"It's Dudley." Harry said in a whisper. "He's calling out to me. And by play, he means letting him and his friends beat me up."

"Wait." Jewel said, forgetting the cousin's threat. "Your last name is Potter?"

"Yeah. We need to stay hidden." Harry replied, his attention completely towards the direction of the sound.

"Hold on. So your name is Harry Potter?" Jewel asked sceptically.

"Yes. But that doesn't matter right now. We can't let Dudley find us." Harry said, getting anxious.

Jewel didn't know how to react. There was no way her friend Harry, a boy who gets abused daily, was actually THE Harry Potter, right?

"Hey, Harry?" Jewel said, trying to get his attention.

"What is it?" He replied, still looking out of their hiding spot.

"Do you have a lightning bolt shaped scar on your forehead?"

That got Harry's attention. He turned towards Jewel in confusion. "How did you know? I haven't shown it to you yet."

Jewel didn't answer his question, she just stared at him.

"Potter! Where the hell are you? You're supposed to be here!" Dudley yelled. His voice getting closer and closer. More voices could now be heard as well. Presumably from Dudleys friends.

Harry was starting to panic. He couldn't let them find him and especially not Jewel. Who knows what they might do to her.

In an attempt to get Jewel out of her stupor, Harry grabbed her shoulders. "Jewel! We need to do something or they will find us!"

Jewel seemed to finally understand the situation they were in and pulled herself together. "Right. Just stay calm, Harry. And keep close to the ground. Follow me."

In her years of survival on her own and her habit of avoiding any human contact, Jewel learned how to sneak around to avoid unwanted attention. She led Harry across the park, keeping them both out of sight from the unsuspecting pursuing bullies.

"Come on, Dud. He's not here. Let's look somewhere else." Said one of Dudleys friends after stumbling around for about half an hour.

Dudley sneered, clearly not happy with the situation. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go."

When they were gone, Harry could finally relax. "That was close. Now we just need to hope he forgets not seeing us here. If my uncle finds out, there will be consequences."

"From what I've seen, he's not the brightest, so there is a chance."

Once the two were completely calmed down, Harry turned towards Jewel. "What's the deal with my name? And how did you know of my scar? Did you see it while I was sleeping?"

Jewel looked at Harry, biting her lip and debating her answer.

"Let's go back to our hiding spot, then I'll tell you." She said, already moving back towards their previous location.

Harry was too curious to protest and followed her in silence.


	4. Chapter 3 Awaiting the letter

Hey guys, been a while, hasn't it. I did say that there wasn't a schedule for this story.  
Anyway, hope you enjoy the next chapter. :3

* * *

"Okay, we're here. Fess up." Harry said, once they arrived back at their secluded spot.

"I know who you are, Harry."

"That, that doesn't make any sense. Of course you know me." He replied, being completely confused.

"What I'm saying is, -" Jewel started, looking for the right words. "-well, if you asked any magical person if they knew who Harry Potter is, they would tell you that they indeed know who you are. In the magical world, you're a hero, Harry."

Harry processed the words, but couldn't make sense of them. "I still don't understand."

Jewel sat down and Harry followed her example.

"More than ten years ago, there was a war going on between what they called the Light and the Dark. The Light side was led by a wizard named Albus Dumbledore, while the Dark side was led by a wizard named Voldemort."

"Voldemort? What happened?" He asked, eager to hear more.

"I don't know the details of why this war was fought, but I know that it was brutal and many people lost their lives. There seemed no end to the war until a prophecy was made. The prophesy said that a child would be born with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord being Voldemort. That child… is you, Harry."

"M-Me?"

"The Dark Lord found out and sought to destroy you. He found your home and murdered your parents."

"But… What? I don't…." Harry was completely lost for words.

"Stay with me, Harry. When Voldemort tried to kill you, however, something strange happened. As he cast the killing curse on you, it somehow rebounced to him, resulting in his own demise. It was the end of the war. The Light won. And the child who made it possible was unhurt, except for the lightning bolt shaped scar on its forehead."

"That's… me?"

"You were barely a year old when it happened, so I doubt that you remember any of it. I don't know how you ended up with those muggles. It honestly makes no sense."

Both of them fell silent. Harry was trying to process this new information. He knew Jewel wouldn't lie to him, he believed what she had told him. He had so many questions, though, and he didn't know where to start.

Jewel stayed quiet, giving Harry the time he needed to think.

"It doesn't change anything." Harry said after a few minutes of silence.

"What doesn't change?"

"Our plan. I don't care about who I used to be. If what you're saying is true, and the magic community considers me their hero, then where are they? I didn't even know magic was real until I met you. The only thing I care about is you, learning magic and getting out of my prison. Rather sooner than later."

Jewel was touched by his words and calmly replied; "It's true that our plan doesn't have to change, but you being who you are does answers a lot of questions and could potentially make our plans easier."

Harry snorted. "You have no idea how many questions I have right about now."

"I'll make sure that they all get answered in time. If I don't know the answer, then we'll put it on the list of things to figure out."

"Wait a minute!" Harry suddenly exclaimed, making Jewel jump a little. "So my parents didn't die in a car accident?!"

"No, they died trying to protect you. They were murdered during war."

Harry took a deep breath. "Do you… know their names?"

"You don't know them?" She asked, slightly horrified that Harry wouldn't know the names of his own parents.

"No, the Dursleys never talked about them. And the only thing they told me turns out to be a lie."

"Uhm, let me think. I should know this, my mother told me the story at one point. I believe that your father was called James, and your mother's name is Lilly, I think. She was a muggleborn."

"And my father?"

"Was a wizard."

"Can you tell me anything else about them?" He asked eagerly.

"I wish I could, I'm sorry." Jewel said, looking down.

"Don't be." Harry said, getting her to look at him again. "You have no idea how much knowing my parent's names means to me. I'm glad to finally know the truth."

After saying that, Harry got a distant look on his face.

"Harry?" Jewel asked, getting concerned.

"To me, nothing changes, other than knowing the truth." He said and looked straight in her eyes. "How about you? Does me being famous change anything of our friendship? Am I still just Harry to you?"

"Of course you are!" Jewel answered immediately. "Harry, you have no idea what you mean to me. I don't care about the past, I only care about the present and the future. You're still Harry, and I like you just the way you are."

"Thank you." Harry was so relieved at her answer. He vowed to himself to never doubt her again in the future.

"Shall we continue our lesson?" Jewel said, changing the subject to relieve some of the tension that hung in the air.

Harry smiled at her. "Yes let's."

As they continued it seemed like Harry didn't have any problems learning new Parsel Magic. He needed to try a few times to get things right, but he didn't have any issues calling upon his magic.

Time passed quickly, it always does when you're doing something that you enjoy. The sun was setting and it had started snowing slightly. Harry had added his own magic to the warmth bubble around them, they had no trouble keeping themselves warm. The snow that fell into the bubble, evaporated before it hit the ground.

"It's getting pretty late, I wonder when the Dursleys are going to come get you." Jewel said, looking at the setting sun, enjoying the view.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they left me here until the morning. We learned that they aren't leaving me outside all night."

"I don't mind spending the night outside."

"Because you're used to it?" Harry asked, recalling her story.

"Yes. To be honest, I don't sleep comfortably inside a building. Being inside limits your escape options. Here in the open, you can go anywhere."

"I can't imagine to live like that. It must have been hard on you."

"It's all I know. It's normal for me."

"Do you sometimes wish things were different? To have a normal family and a home, like everybody else?" Harry asked, often asking that question to himself.

Jewel thought about it for a moment. "Yes and no. I don't want a 'normal' family. I want a real one. But, I do wish some things were different."

"Like what?"

"I wish I was stronger. Then maybe my mother wouldn't have died. It's my biggest regret."

"Regret? Jewel, you were only a little child. You and your mother were up against several trained wizards. There was nothing you could have done."

"You don't know that. You weren't there."

"No, I wasn't there. But, look at me, I'm a wizard and I can't even defend myself against three muggles."

"That's not the same."

"Isn't it? I fear for my life every day. Each day with the Dursleys could be my last. I'm fighting for my life, but at the end of the day, I am at the mercy of others. You can't change the past, but WE can change the future. Together, we will get stronger! And then we can take our own lives in our hands."

Jewel looked at Harry's determined face and couldn't help but believe the small boy. "I guess, you're right."

"You know I'm right! We just need patience and then, someday, we will get revenge on the ones who wronged us. Patience, like you've told me a million times before."

"Well, if you're going to throw my own words back at me, I have no choice but to believe you. Thanks."

The sun disappeared behind the horizon and the world fell into darkness. Lie predicted, no one showed up for Harry.

It was in the afternoon, the following day before Petunia turned up.

She ushered Harry, and the now hidden Jewel, back to the house where Harry got his chores for the rest of the day.

The Dursleys were in a good mood. Seems like the house visit yesterday went as planned. After only a few hours of chores, Harry was put into his cupboard with yesterday's leftovers.

With just the two of them again, they decided that it was time to test out whenever Harry could now reach his magic, like in the park.

Harry was going for the light spell, the first word he learned and by now completely mastered. He held out his hand, said the word and to his horror, he couldn't do it.

" **I knew it! Something is wrong. I can't reach my magic."**

" **That's really strange. You shouldn't have any problems with this by now."**

" **Do you know what can cause this?"** Harry asked, worried.

" **Not for sure. But, if you feel like you can't access your magic, something prevents you."**

" **Something?"**

" **Could be a spell or an enchanted object. It could even be a ward. If it only affects you, whatever it is, it was surely made with Blood Magic. It's going to be nearly impossible to get rid of it, especially if we don't know what it is."**

" **But, it's possible, right?"**

" **Harry, I'm not sure we want to get rid of it."**

" **Why not?"**

" **Think about it. Only a person with magic, powerful magic, could have done this. This rules out the Dursleys. Given who you are, it could be anyone. You've made quite a few enemies from the Dark side. Whomever it was, clearly they don't have the best intensions with you. If we remove whatever it is that's blocking you, it could alert that person. Until we know who we're dealing with, we can't risk drawing attention to ourselves."**

" **So we do nothing about it?"** Harry asked unhappily.

" **For now, yes."**

" **Fine, but I'm not happy with this."**

" **I imagine. On the other hand, it means that we might have to add another person to the list of people we get revenge on."**

" **At least there's a good side to this then."** Harry said darkly. " **I can't wait to finally get my Hogwarts letter."**

" **When's your birthday, anyway? You haven't told me that yet."**

" **And here I thought you knew everything about me. Don't you know? I'm a celebrity."** He said, jokingly.

" **Hey! Just because I know who you are, doesn't mean I know every single detail about your life."** Jewel replied, faking being offended.

" **My birthday's in summer, on the 31** **st** **of July. So it'll be awhile 'till then. When's yours?"**

Jewel had to think about it, searching her memories for the date of her birth. **"On the 10** **th** **of December."**

" **That's tomorrow! Why haven't you told me this before?"**

" **I don't keep up with the date. Besides, I haven't celebrated my birthday in years."**

" **Let's change that."**

" **You want to celebrate my birthday? How?"**

" **Well, I can't provide a present for you, BUT, I can cook you a meal. Luckily for us, the Dursleys are out tomorrow. Some event at Vernon's work, if I recall. So, we'll have the house for ourselves tomorrow."**

" **You're going to cook for me?"**

" **Yup. Remember the rice and chicken I made for you? I know how to make many more dishes like that."**

" **The dish with the curry?"** Jewel said, recalling the memory with sparkling eyes. **"Yes, please."**

Harry laughed. **"It's settled then."**

Jewel was so happy, thinking about tomorrow. She could barely sleep that night. By the time that she finally fell asleep, it was morning. Jewel wasn't even bothered when she was woken up again because Harry was called to make breakfast.

It was announced that Harry would be locked up for the entire day in the cupboard while the rest of the household was away. That wasn't really a problem, Jewel would be able to get them out.

So said, so done. The pair waited for an hour, just to be on the safe side, before getting out of the cupboard.

"I have an idea. While I make the food, why don't you go upstairs and take a bath? I'm guessing that it's been a while since you last had the opportunity to get a bath with warm water."

Jewel really wanted to, it sounded so tempting, yet she hesitated. "Are you sure that's okay? Won't they find out?"

"It'll be fine. Just make sure you put everything back the way you found it." He reassured her.

Jewel beamed, convinced, as she practically ran up the stairs. Finding the bathroom wasn't a difficult task.

In the past, Jewel would have cleaned herself in any body of water she could find. Harry's assumption had been right, it's been a really long time she had the change to bathe in warm water, so she wasn't going to waste this opportunity.

The warm water felt like heaven on her skin and Jewel thoroughly enjoyed every second of being surrounded by the clean, warm water.

About half an hour later Harry called from downstairs that the food was almost ready. Reluctantly Jewel got out of the bath and started to clean up.

She didn't dare to use a towel to dry herself off with, instead she called upon her Elemental Magic to warm herself up to rid herself of the wetness.

Once dressed in her ragged clothes, she went downstairs. She could already smell the food from upstairs and it smelled delicious.

Arriving in the dining room Jewel couldn't help but marvel at the food that waiting for her at the table. It was a simple meal, but to her, it was a feast.

"This smells so good! What is it?" She asked while taking her seat.

"It's spaghetti, with freshly made tomato sauce and some chicken pieces."

"Chicken?"

"Yeah, I remember that you really liked that last time."

Jewel looked at Harry with big and very grateful eyes. "Thank you." And then she dug in.

"Happy birthday, Jewel." Harry said and began at his own plate.

The food was quickly devoured. After they were done, they helped each other clean up the mess Harry made while cooking. Harry wanted to do it alone, but Jewel insisted that she helped.

After everything was cleaned up, Harry turned to Jewel and said; "Go sit down. I'm going to get something real quick."

Curious, Jewel sat down at the dining table and patiently awaited Harry's return, which she didn't have to wait long on.

While eating earlier, Harry noticed Jewel's unkept hair and decided to do something about it. So, he brought a hair brush down.

Jewel didn't say anything as he walked up to her.

"Can I brush your hair?" He asked her to see if she was comfortable with it.

Jewel nodded and Harry went to stand behind her and went to work, as gently as he could.

Few moments pass in silence, and not much later Jewel's hair was completely smoothed out.

Jewel reached behind to feel her hair.

"What do you think? Did I do a good job?"

With the combination after being washed earlier, Jewel's hair was really soft now.

"Wow, I didn't know my hair could feel like this, so smooth. You may do this more often." Jewel said, still marvelling.

"Of course, any time you want."

They spend the rest of the time they had chatting and enjoying their time together. Until it was time to get back into the cupboard.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next few weeks were pretty much the same.

Get up, do chores, go to school, get bullied or skip school to learn about magic, get home, do chores, sleep, repeat. Occasionally getting a beating in between.

Out of the five days Harry had to go to school, he ditched two or three days to go to the park to practise magic.

It was nerve-racking in the beginning. The fear of being reported for absence was great, but proved to be unnecessary. No one missed Harry at school.

Spring rolled around and Harry started to get more chores outside of the house, mainly keeping the front lawn and garden in top condition.

Harry once tried to use some magic in the garden and got the same result as if he would be inside. His magic was unreachable when he was anywhere on the property. As soon as he would leave the property, like walking on the street in front of the house, the block gets lifted.

Despite this restriction, Harry learned a lot about the different types of magic and learned many basic level Parsel spells. Not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves, Jewel kept the spells she learned Harry small and basic.

Ever since discovering that magic was real, Harry hadn't had any more cases of accidental magic. Maybe it was because he was now aware what it was, they weren't sure. But it really brought down the number of beatings in a week.

This entire pattern kept going into the summer.

Harry tried to keep his excitement low as his birthday was only days away now. Because of that, he was often distracted while doing his chores, resulting in mistakes and then turning into vicious beatings.

The last one, specifically, was so brutal that Harry was unconscious for just over two days.

Harry shifted and slowly opened his eyes, disoriented he looked around for Jewel. When he didn't see her, he called out to her. "J-Jewel?" His voice was hoarse and barely noticeable.

No reaction came, no movements to be seen. Harry's breathing sped up as he called out again, slightly louder this time.

Still no answer.

Still not fully conscious and feeling very weak, Harry started to panic.

All kind of terrible scenarios sprung to his mind and he hoped, prayed, to whoever wanted to listen, that she was okay.

Harry gathered his strength and pulled himself into a sitting position, which in his condition was quite a feat to perform.

He found himself inside his cupboard, that was no surprise. He grabbed his glasses and looked around, calling out for Jewel once again.

Now that he was fully alert, he noticed the pain in his body, at his side specifically. He grabbed his side in reaction, gasping at the sudden intensity.

'Haven't been out long then, if my wounds aren't healed yet.' He briefly thought to himself, as he noticed a fair amount of blood soaking his shirt.

He willed the pain away as best as he could. His priority now was finding Jewel and making sure she was okay.

Before he could do anything, the door to his cupboard was pulled open. Harry tensed and sudden fear gripped him. It instantly vanished as he saw who it was.

It was Jewel, in human form, who had opened the door.

As soon as she saw him awake, she was visibly relieved. "Harry! You're awake. Thank goodness."

She crawled inside and shut the door behind her. She was carrying bandages and some bottles of water in her arms.

"Jewel? What's going on?" Harry asked through gritted teeth, the pain being persistent.

"You're still in pain." She said upon seeing him, ignoring his question. "Let me see."

She reached out to him and pulled up the way too big T-shirt. Now Harry could see why his side hurt so much.

There was a knife sized cut that looked still fresh and was slowly bleeding.

"Ow." Harry winched as Jewel inspected the wound.

She then poured some water on the bandages and started to clean the wound.

"Just leave it, it'll heal soon." Harry said, trying to stop her.

Jewel ignored him again and continued her administrations.

"Jewel?" Harry said, concerned of her quietness.

"You've been asleep for two days now. In all that time, this wound hasn't healed. At first I thought nothing of it. You explained to me how your worst wounds heal first, so I figured that was what was happening. But the cut kept bleeding, not only that, some strange yellow liquid started coming out."

Harry listened in worry, letting her continue to clean the wound.

"I didn't know what that meant, but I knew it wasn't good. Your whole left side felt like it was on fire and you started to get a fever. I had to do something. So I looked at the wound and after a while I saw some piece of sharp metal in there." Jewel shuddered as she recalled the memory.

"What did you do then?"

"I knew I should get it out, but it was so deep embedded inside. I used magic to get it out. I'm pretty sure I made the wound worse than it was before. At least the metal piece was out."

"How long ago was that?"

"About an hour? I'm not sure. You were bleeding pretty badly after that. Your fever went away and your body cooled down, but the wound kept bleeding. So, I snuck out and went to find these." She motioned to the items she had brought. "I was afraid you were going to bleed to death."

"I'm- I'm sorry. I didn't know." Harry said, not knowing what else to say.

"Not your fault. I'm just glad you're getting better now."

Harry nodded in agreement and let Jewel continue tending to him.

"What about the Dursleys? Did they see you? Do they know what's going on?" He asked worried.

"They're asleep, it's night right now. They haven't checked up on you at all since they left you here? You were looking really bad when Vernon brought you here."

"I see. Are you okay?"

"Beaten up and bleeding out, and still worry about me?"

"Well, if you care about me like I care about you, it can't have been easy, seeing me like that."

"It was… frightening." She allowed.

"Then, are you okay?" Harry repeated.

"I think so, yes. Much better now."

They spend the rest of the night resting, since Jewel hadn't slept the entire time Harry was out.

The next day came and no one checked up on Harry the entire day. The duo didn't mind, they used this time to fully recover from the ordeal and talking about tomorrow, which was Harry's birthday.

Even though the latest beating had been the worst so far, knowing that Harry would get his letter tomorrow, was enough to keep both their spirits up.


End file.
